I have the Xenyx 502 (NON Usb) that i am using for live streaming on Twitch. The main reason i got a mixer was so i can hear my own voice in my headset as well as hear game audio from PC/Xbox one. Everything is working great so far. I can hear myself in my headset and i have no issues with hearing PC audio as well as Xbox one audio. Connect the computer for inputting audio to the Behringer by inserting the mini-plug on the Y adapter into the computer's audio output jack (use the headphone jack on a laptop), typically located on the back of the tower. » behringer xenyx 502 driver download » usb 502 xenyx driver » behringer xenyx usb 502 drivers » xenyx 502 usb drivers » behringer xenyx 502 usb asio driver » dell webcam central software 502 » lg ht 502 software » cm4 downloadcm4 502.523.3005 download » se g 502 pc suite download » download behringer 502 windows 10.

The Problem

The Behringer Q802USB mixer doesn’t send audio to the headphone output in both directions (in and out) when using the USB to interface with your computer. In other words, you can’t hear yourself and the audio from the computer (e.g. Skype) at the same time when using the USB connection.

The Xenyx 502 does have phantom power, but no effects and it can not connect to your computer via USB. So it is more of like a cheap old school mixer without computer connectivity. With no channel inserts, no talkback and no direct outputs it sounds like this mixer would not be good for anything. But it is good for small analog projects. View and Download Behringer XENYX 502 user manual online. Premium 12/10/8/5-Input 2-Bus Mixer with XENYX Mic Preamp and British EQ. XENYX 502 music mixer pdf manual download. Also for: Xenyx 1002, Xenyx 802, Xenyx 1202, Xenyx 1002, Xenyx 802.

When I did my initial overview video of the Q802USB I didn’t find this quirk. Mostly because I had never seen it before nor did I know that there were mixers that could not do what seemed like an obvious task.

I posted the video on YouTube and I started to see some comments that alerted me to this potential issue. I searched other videos and reviews and found one that indicated that indeed this was a problem. I needed to know more so I asked B&H (they had originally supplied the review unit) if I could get the mixer back for some testing and they promptly sent me one to review… again.

After hours of testing and endless notes, I confirmed with my own ears and eyes that indeed this was a limitation of the Q802USB.

The next steps were to figure out exactly what the problem was and if I could make the mixer do what I wanted it to do; allow me to monitor the audio I’m getting from the computer as well as hear the audio I am sending.

Here’s how the USB routing buttons on the Q802USB work and how they prevent monitoring in both directions.

To hear audio coming into the mixer via USB from your computer, you need to enable (press down) the USB/2-Track to Phones/CTRL Room button. This sends audio that the USB is receiving from the computer into the “Phones” output.

When this button is active (in the down position), it is also mutes any audio that you are inputting into the mixer’s inputs. This means you cannot hear, through the Phones output, whatever you are inputting into the mixer via the analog channels…in other words, you can’t hear your own microphone a.k.a., yourself.

Interestingly, this also cuts off the audio meters from displaying your audio levels despite the fact that audio is still carried to the Main Out and you are still sending audio out of the USB. I’m not sure why this happens but it means that you not only can’t hear your audio, you can’t see the levels either. That’t not good.

Any other setups/routing configurations for the USB will result in one side being muted. When you leave the Phones/CTRL Room button in the up position but activate the USB/2-Track to Main Mix button, the inputs (your microphone) will not be sent out of the USB hence Skype will not receive your audio.

This is listed in the manual, “USB/2-TR to Main Mix – button routes USB/2-Track playback to MAIN MIX and mutes the 2-TR OUT/USB recording signal.” What they don’t tell you is that the USB/2-Track To Phones/CTRL Room also mutes the signal, the one that should send your microphones audio to the Phones output and the audio meters!

It’s important to note that none of the audio that comes in via the USB ever goes back out of the USB or Tape Out. This means that loopback of the incoming audio is not an issue and you couldn’t just plug your headphones into the Tape Out to hear both sides.

Also, I did contact Behringer and they confirmed that this was just a limitation of this lower-end mixer. Here’s exactly what they said,

This is a limitation of the smaller Xenyx mixers (the 502’s and 802’s), the higher mixers in the range have more monitoring and routing options. Having said that you can still use the USB/2-Track and specifically the Phones or CTRL RM outs to monitor USB returns whilst recording, but this won’t really help with skype, it is more for recording purposes and monitoring USB playback.

I was happy to confirm that this mixer is just not setup to do what many podcasters would want to use it for, Skype interviews or co-hosting. This is another example of how podcasters often have to work around gear that is built for musicians.

However, the “why” still remains unanswered. My follow up questions to Behringer, asking for the technical reason why this happens, were never answered.

What doesn’t make sense, and perhaps someone reading this will know, is why audio from a microphone is cut off from the Phones and the audio meters when receiving the computer’s audio to the Phones via USB?

You are still sending out the audio from your microphone and it is still going out the Main Out so why can’t I also hear it? Why mute that signal? And it’s not a feedback issue because again, the audio is still being sent and any audio from the USB cannot go back out of the USB.

Is this just a design flaw? Cheap parts? I have yet to figure out a technical reason. What do you think?

The good news is I found a few ways to use this mixer to monitor both the incoming and the outgoing audio. Despite this limitation, it’s still possible to monitor both sides!

Here are my solutions including the gear I used to accomplish each setup.

What’s the Fix?

Option 1 – Mix-Minus

The first solution would be to remove the USB from the audio chain. One of the nice features of the Q802USB is that it provides you with an auxiliary channel (labeled FX Send). Using the mixer in a classic mix-minus setup enables you to monitor the audio in both directions because you are not relying on the USB connection.

Audio from the computer is being sent into an available channel on the mixer and audio from the mixer is being sent out the FX Send, minus the channel that has the computer audio on it. To understand how this works and to setup a mix-minus for yourself, see my complete guide and video.

There is another nice advantage of going with a mix-minus setup that actually brings the USB back into play. because you are not using the USB for Skype or other VOIP software, you can record all the audio from your mixer into audio recording software (Audition, Audacity, etc.) using the USB connection. This is great option for recording your interviews, podcasts, etc., on the very same computer that you are using Skype on.

Option 2 – Splitting the Headphones

The next option is sort of a hack but I was very happy that it worked. If you still want to use the USB as your input and output for Skype, you can monitor both directions by using a Y-cable to split the 1/8″ connection of your headphones to 2 1/4″ leads that will pull audio from the phones (Skype) while at the same time send your own audio into your headphones via the Main Out.

Behringer Xenyx 502 Usb Drivers

The Main Out on the Q802USB always receives all analog inputs. Therefore, by plugging one lead of your headphones into the Main Out, you will be able to hear yourself. At first it may feel strange to have yourself in one ear and your guest in the other but with time you may actually come to prefer monitoring the audio this way. You can more easily pick out which side contains any audio issues.

To create this split headphones setup, you’ll need a female to female adapter that fits the size of your cabling. In my case, my headphones have a 1/8″ male lead and th

Behringer Xenyx 502 Connect To Computer